Bali’s Mt Agung Volcano Continues Heating Up

Mass Evacuation: 140,000 people flee Bali town of Amed turning it into a ghost town

Mt Agung Volcano continues to exhale a large column of steam, smoke and ash, while ominously eying the town of Amed.

The normally bustling tourist town, located about 4km outside Mt Agung volcano’s exclusion zone, has been experiencing  more than 1,000 tremors per day, prompting residents and tourists to abandon the town.

More than 100,000 others are expected to abandon nearby villages as fears of an “imminent eruption” mount.

Authorities has set up about 500 temporary shelters outside the exclusion zone around the volcano, said the National Disaster Management Agency.

However, the shelters may prove unsafe, if a large, explosive eruption occurs.

Vanuatu Volcano: State of Emergency Declared

Meanwhile, most of 11,000 residents in Vanuatu’s Ambae island have abandoned the volcanic island under evacuation orders, as the Manaro Voui volcano continues emitting ash, smoke and volcanic gases, stoking fears of an imminent eruption.

Vanuatu: State of emergency on Ambae island; Monaro #Volcano on Alert Level 4. Paama & Abrym Islands also on alert. https://t.co/UzZFJPAltO

— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) September 28, 2017

Mass Evacuations in Indonesia as Mt Kelud Erupts

VOLCANIC HAZARDS
MASS EVACUATIONS
.

Volcano alert urged 200,000 people to evacuate before eruption

Ash and other volcanic matter ejected by the 1,730-meter Mt Kelud has covered a vast area, including the major city of Surabaya, more than 130km (80 miles) away.

During its most violent eruption on Thursday night, the volcano ejected ash and volcanic gases to a hight of 17km above the summit crater, according to officials.

Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city with a population of more than 3.5 million (6 million in the metropolitan area), is the capital of East Java province.

The major eruption, which ejected ash in all directions as far as 250-km away, forced the closure of three international airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta.

Mt Kelud erupts in East Java, Indonesia. Image credit: Mia Puspitasari

Volcanic ash raining on the city of Yogyakarta (metro Population 2.4 million), Java after Mt Kelud eruption.  Image Credit:Aldnonymous

Officials had urged about 200,000 people in 36 villages within the 10-km radius of the crater to evacuate 90 minutes before the eruption, according to reports.

There are UNCONFIRMED reports of multiple deaths within the evacuation zone.

A Thick Blanket of Volcanic Ash 

“The current conditions are that volcanic ash is now covering the runway, apron and tarmac. We have already measured the thickness of the volcanic ash, which is at  on the runway and tarmac,” said a senior official at the Yogyakarta airport.

Mt Kelud (Kelut) is located in East Java, Indonesia. Kelud is one of Indonesia’s 130  active volcanoes.  The volcano last erupted in 1990, killing at least 40 people. A powerful explosion in 1919 left more than  5,000 dead.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

Krakatoa [Krakatau] Cataclysmic Eruption 1883

William Ashcroft painting “On the Banks of the River Thames” in London, November 26, 1883 [Exactly three months after Krakatoa’s cataclysmic 1883 eruption.]

The Krakatoa eruption affected the climate driving the weather patterns wild for the next 5 years. Average global temperatures fell by about 1.2 °C in the following years, returning to normal only in 1888.

The eruption ejected about 21 cubic kilometers of volcanic matter and destroyed two-thirds of the Krakatoa island. The explosion also spawned giant tsunamis killing an estimated 40,000 people.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that the collapse of Singapore may occur as a result of volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Mt Sinabung

Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province has been erupting since November 2013 forcing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people. During an unexpected eruption earlier this month at least 16 people were killed.

Related Links

• Mount Sinabung Erupts  August 29, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again  August 30, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010
• Sinabung Getting More Serious September 7, 2010
• Thousands Flee Mount Sinabung Eruption September 16, 2013
• Sinabung Volcano Explodes  November 3, 2013

• A Second Indonesian Volcano Erupts November 19, 2013
• Mass Evacuation Ordered as Mt SINABUNG Put on Red Alert November 24, 2013
• Mass Evacuations as Sinabung Erupts Again January 8, 2014
• Sinabung Eruption Leaves 14 Dead, Thousands Evacuated February 1, 2014

Tens of Thousands Flee Mt. Gamalama Eruption

Mt Gamalama erupts covering Ternate island with ash; tens of thousands flee

Hot ash and other volcanic debris from Gamalama volcano, which began erupting late Sunday evening, has covered almost the entire island city of Ternate, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee.  The eruption ejected volcanic matter to a height of about 2 km above the volcano summit, and covered the island with a thick blanket of ash.

A small explosive eruption of Gamalama volcano in September 1980 is seen from the airport on the NE side of Ternate Island. Nearly 40,000 persons evacuated to a nearby island during the first two days of the eruption, which began on September 4 and lasted until the 23rd. Photo by S.R. Wittiri, 1980 (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia); caption by GVP

Disaster Calendar 2011 – December 6

[December 6, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,562 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Ternate island, Indonesia. Hot ash and other volcanic debris from Gamalama volcano, which began erupting Sunday evening, has covered almost the entire island city of Ternate, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee, and forcing  the closure of a nearby airport.  The eruption ejected volcanic matter to a height of about 2 km above the volcano summit.
• More than 100 volcanic quakes have been recorded since the eruption began.
• The 4-level alert status is currently at Level 3.
• State volcanologist Surono said Gamalama had ejected “clouds of thick gray ash” into the air, and slow moving lava was  visible at the summit.

• Gamalama Volcano
• The 1,715-metre volcano forms the entire island of Ternate in North Maluku province, Indonesia
• Most of the building on the island were destroyed during an 1840 eruption.
• The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in 2003.
• Recent eruptions include 1980, 1983, 1994, 2003 and 2011.
• A violent eruption during Aug.- Sept. 1775 killed 141 people.
• Gamalama is one of the 128 active Indonesian volcanoes (total of about 500).

Gamalama volcano (also known as the Peak of Ternate), one of the most active volcanoes of Indonesia, forms Ternate Island off the western coast of Halmahera. The northern and youngest of three cones forming the summit of Gamalama is seen here from the NE. Unvegetated areas in this 1994 photo consist of the ejecta blanket from recent explosive eruptions. Frequent eruptions have occurred since the 16th century, most of which originated from the summit vent. Photo by Gatot Sugiharto, 1994 (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia); caption by GVP.

Other Global Disasters

• New Hampshire, USA. The disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Hampshire following the pre-Halloween  severe storm and snowstorm that occurred during the period of October 29-30, 2011
• The worst affected areas were the counties of Hillsborough and Rockingham, according to a WH press statement.
• Kentucky, USA. Uniontown, Kentucky has declared a State of Emergency because pumps that keep water out of the town failed.
  
• “Officials say the town has been pounded with rain, four inches in a 24 hour period. Two and half inches of that came down within two hours,” a report said.
• The rainwater has flooded local streets and roads.

Earthquake and Volcano Links

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Global Disasters

• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Mt Bromo Eruption Forces Dozens of BALI Flight Cancellations

East Java’s Mt Bromo eruption forces at least 4 airlines to cancel holiday flights to the region

Cathay Pacific,  Jetstar, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Blue were forced to cancel all flights to and from Bali until further notice.

Mt Bromo ejected fountains of lava to a height of about 200m during a strombolian eruption. Several nearby villages were covered in hot ash spewed by the volcano, report say.

Bromo Erupts

The 2,330-m high volcano is located in Probolinggo, East Java province, about 750km east of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.  January 25, 2011.  Photo credit: AFP/Aman Rahman. Image may be subject to copyright.

Other Volcano News

• Galeras volcano eruption expected
• Japan’s Shinomoedake volcano erupts for a 2nd day
• Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells

• South Iceland Inhabitants Fear Katla Eruption
• Activity at Kizimen Volcano
  • Satellite images of Kizimen volcano activity since December 30, 2010

Video Clip:

• Mt Bromo Eruption

Related Links:

• Mt Bromo Eruption Closes Airport Posted on November 29, 2010

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

More Indonesian Volcanoes Could Erupt Simultaneously [Probability ≥ 0.55]

Singapore Sling May Follow

Mt Merapi releases them all: Ash plumes, lahars, pyroclastic flows, sulfur dioxide …

Image shows concentrations of sulfur dioxide release by Mt Merapi volcano between November 4 and 8, 2010. The image was processed from data acquired by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura spacecraft. “Sulfur dioxide is measured here in Dobson Units: The greatest concentrations appear in dark red-brown; the lowest in light peach. Typically used to measure ozone, the Dobson Unit is the number of molecules of gas that would be required to create a layer 0.01 millimeters thick at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 1 atmosphere (the air pressure at the surface of the Earth).” Source: NASA E-O.

Latest Entries on Mt Merapi

• Merapi’s latest eruption the deadliest so far
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [NOVEMBER]

• Mt Merapi Erupts Again, 70,000 Evacuated
• Mount Merapi Erupts Repeatedly
• Tsunami Claims 200 After 7.7Mw Quake Strikes Indonesia

• 2010 disasters
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

Related Links

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• World’s Dormant Volcanoes Firing
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [16 September 2009]
• Sinabung Getting More Serious
• Sinabung Erupts Again

FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”

Other Related Links:

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

• Earth’s Climate: A Solar Powered System